(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, or my
situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by
copyrights.)
One week after the party, they was ready to go back to work. The rejoicing had ended, and Lily and James were back to life as they had to know it now. They went to a Healer as soon as they could, and the Healer announced that Lily was entering her third month. That was in the beginning of January.
And so Lily was not there with them as soon as the Auror work became demanding again. Yet, they practically had to tie her to a chair to stop her from following James into the line of fire that was called England.
Remus had been detached from the group since that night, and he was not called to duty one day as the other three were. This was why he found himself at the Potter's house, speaking quietly with Lily in their parlor. He had been to this house hundreds of times, but this time, it just felt different. Lily was starting to bulge a little.
Or was it just his imagination?
His parents had never had another child. They didn't think it'd be very good to have a baby around a . . . well, around Remus.
How was he going to explain to this new baby what he was? Should he keep it a secret? Or should he try to bring the child up with no prejudice, telling it all of his secrets?
No. He would never tell that child what he was. Never.
James could tell it.
"You wanted to talk?" Lily asked, curled up in her chair. She was wearing her Muggle clothing that she had brought from home after she moved out a year and a half ago. A T-shirt, tucked into some flared jeans. Sneakers. And her hair pulled back into a braid. She looked horrible.
"I wanted to explain to you why I said the things that I said," Remus said, sitting in his own chair opposite of her. He had known Lily longer than any of the other boys. They had been acquaintances in first year. Both of them had been students striving to do their best and prove themselves. She was a Muggle born, and he was a werewolf. They had started with the same mutual group of friends. But slowly he was caught up in the friendship of the troublemakers, and he and she broke apart. They had never had any sort of dating or even an attraction to each other. It always seemed that she was preoccupied with another boy. Remus smiled to himself now, as if he knew a secret that his younger self did not know.
"And," Lily said. She was so brave. She had been a lot braver than him.
"And I want to say that I don't want to be at ends with you," Remus said, "You or James or Sirius."
She had trusted him.
"I love you like a sister, Lily," he continued, "And I want to give you my best wishes and my support."
Lily nodded, and smiled, "Well, thank you, Remus."
"And I hope that there aren't any hard feelings between us," he said.
Lily sighed, and pushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes, "No, that's fine. I understand where you were coming from. I really do."
Remus felt a small smile curl onto his face, and he wasn't afraid to show it.
"James?"
James rolled over in bed, groaning. He was tired. It had been a long night. They had arrested two more Death Eaters, but one of them had gotten away before arriving at Ministry Headquarters. They had identified the escapee as a man named Avery.
He knew that there had been something wrong with Darryl.
"What?" he mumbled into the darkness of their bedroom.
"I think I felt something," she said quietly, and James sat up, excitedly. With a swish of his hand, he turned on the light of the room, and touched Lily's cold stomach. She was smiling to herself, and she bit her lip.
"Can you feel it?" she asked.
"No," James said truthfully, "I think that you're imagining it. I don't feel anything."
Lily's face dropped, and she sighed. She covered her stomach again with her nightgown, and waved her wand to shut off the light, "How can they be so sure that it's really in there?"
"Because it is," James said, "Just look at you. You're already bulging a little."
Lily snorted, and turned her back to James to lay down again.
"Lily?" he said, after a beat. Lily muttered a "what?" and James lay back down on his pillow to stare at the ceiling. It was white, with little chips caked onto the paint. It was supposed to look artistic. It just made it look like someone had walked on their ceiling before it had been dried.
"What if something happens to us?" he asked, "What's going to happen to our baby?"
"I'm sure Sirius and Remus and Peter would take it in," Lily said.
"But they don't all live together," James said, "And we can't force it upon all of them. And think of what sort of damage that would do to it, having those three as fathers?"
Lily laughed out loud, and then said, "So what are you proposing?"
"We find a godfather," James said.
Lily nodded in agreement, and then turned to face him, "Good idea. And I know just the man to take the job."
"Sirius," James said, happily taking her hand. But Lily's smile turned to a frown. James didn't notice in the dark that his wife's expression was one of pure doubt, "Sirius would raise my son or daughter just like it was his own. He's the one that I could trust. Remus is incapable of having any contact with another person that he'd have to have as a father, and Peter . . . well, Peter is Peter . . ."
"True," Lily said, "But . . ."
"Sirius is my brother," James said, looking into her eyes, "And I know that he'd do anything for me."
"But he's not Catholic," Lily said, sitting up, "He has no religion at all . . ."
"Why does that matter?"
"Well, to be a godfather, you need to be Catholic . . ."
"Nah," James said, shaking his head, "He could lie . . ."
Lily snorted, "It would be sort of a stretch, James. You know he hates anything to do with church."
"But he would do anything for me," James repeated, "Including that," he saw his wife's look of nervousness, and put his arm around her, "Sirius is a good man, Lily. I know he's . . . a little . . . a little difficult sometimes, but he really is a responsible person. And he's intelligent. And he knows what to do and what not to do . . ."
"All right, fine," Lily said, laying back down in her bed, "I'm too tired to argue with you. Fine. He's the baby's godfather. But you're asking him. Not me."
"Fair enough," James said, and then lay back down next to her.
Tomorrow he would ask Sirius.
One week after the party, they was ready to go back to work. The rejoicing had ended, and Lily and James were back to life as they had to know it now. They went to a Healer as soon as they could, and the Healer announced that Lily was entering her third month. That was in the beginning of January.
And so Lily was not there with them as soon as the Auror work became demanding again. Yet, they practically had to tie her to a chair to stop her from following James into the line of fire that was called England.
Remus had been detached from the group since that night, and he was not called to duty one day as the other three were. This was why he found himself at the Potter's house, speaking quietly with Lily in their parlor. He had been to this house hundreds of times, but this time, it just felt different. Lily was starting to bulge a little.
Or was it just his imagination?
His parents had never had another child. They didn't think it'd be very good to have a baby around a . . . well, around Remus.
How was he going to explain to this new baby what he was? Should he keep it a secret? Or should he try to bring the child up with no prejudice, telling it all of his secrets?
No. He would never tell that child what he was. Never.
James could tell it.
"You wanted to talk?" Lily asked, curled up in her chair. She was wearing her Muggle clothing that she had brought from home after she moved out a year and a half ago. A T-shirt, tucked into some flared jeans. Sneakers. And her hair pulled back into a braid. She looked horrible.
"I wanted to explain to you why I said the things that I said," Remus said, sitting in his own chair opposite of her. He had known Lily longer than any of the other boys. They had been acquaintances in first year. Both of them had been students striving to do their best and prove themselves. She was a Muggle born, and he was a werewolf. They had started with the same mutual group of friends. But slowly he was caught up in the friendship of the troublemakers, and he and she broke apart. They had never had any sort of dating or even an attraction to each other. It always seemed that she was preoccupied with another boy. Remus smiled to himself now, as if he knew a secret that his younger self did not know.
"And," Lily said. She was so brave. She had been a lot braver than him.
"And I want to say that I don't want to be at ends with you," Remus said, "You or James or Sirius."
She had trusted him.
"I love you like a sister, Lily," he continued, "And I want to give you my best wishes and my support."
Lily nodded, and smiled, "Well, thank you, Remus."
"And I hope that there aren't any hard feelings between us," he said.
Lily sighed, and pushed a lock of red hair out of her eyes, "No, that's fine. I understand where you were coming from. I really do."
Remus felt a small smile curl onto his face, and he wasn't afraid to show it.
"James?"
James rolled over in bed, groaning. He was tired. It had been a long night. They had arrested two more Death Eaters, but one of them had gotten away before arriving at Ministry Headquarters. They had identified the escapee as a man named Avery.
He knew that there had been something wrong with Darryl.
"What?" he mumbled into the darkness of their bedroom.
"I think I felt something," she said quietly, and James sat up, excitedly. With a swish of his hand, he turned on the light of the room, and touched Lily's cold stomach. She was smiling to herself, and she bit her lip.
"Can you feel it?" she asked.
"No," James said truthfully, "I think that you're imagining it. I don't feel anything."
Lily's face dropped, and she sighed. She covered her stomach again with her nightgown, and waved her wand to shut off the light, "How can they be so sure that it's really in there?"
"Because it is," James said, "Just look at you. You're already bulging a little."
Lily snorted, and turned her back to James to lay down again.
"Lily?" he said, after a beat. Lily muttered a "what?" and James lay back down on his pillow to stare at the ceiling. It was white, with little chips caked onto the paint. It was supposed to look artistic. It just made it look like someone had walked on their ceiling before it had been dried.
"What if something happens to us?" he asked, "What's going to happen to our baby?"
"I'm sure Sirius and Remus and Peter would take it in," Lily said.
"But they don't all live together," James said, "And we can't force it upon all of them. And think of what sort of damage that would do to it, having those three as fathers?"
Lily laughed out loud, and then said, "So what are you proposing?"
"We find a godfather," James said.
Lily nodded in agreement, and then turned to face him, "Good idea. And I know just the man to take the job."
"Sirius," James said, happily taking her hand. But Lily's smile turned to a frown. James didn't notice in the dark that his wife's expression was one of pure doubt, "Sirius would raise my son or daughter just like it was his own. He's the one that I could trust. Remus is incapable of having any contact with another person that he'd have to have as a father, and Peter . . . well, Peter is Peter . . ."
"True," Lily said, "But . . ."
"Sirius is my brother," James said, looking into her eyes, "And I know that he'd do anything for me."
"But he's not Catholic," Lily said, sitting up, "He has no religion at all . . ."
"Why does that matter?"
"Well, to be a godfather, you need to be Catholic . . ."
"Nah," James said, shaking his head, "He could lie . . ."
Lily snorted, "It would be sort of a stretch, James. You know he hates anything to do with church."
"But he would do anything for me," James repeated, "Including that," he saw his wife's look of nervousness, and put his arm around her, "Sirius is a good man, Lily. I know he's . . . a little . . . a little difficult sometimes, but he really is a responsible person. And he's intelligent. And he knows what to do and what not to do . . ."
"All right, fine," Lily said, laying back down in her bed, "I'm too tired to argue with you. Fine. He's the baby's godfather. But you're asking him. Not me."
"Fair enough," James said, and then lay back down next to her.
Tomorrow he would ask Sirius.